The Past meets The Present
by Erin Roberts Guardian's Light
Summary: On a quick snag and bag, Claudia received a message from someone that she had thought never to see again. Howard Cress, a man who knows Claudia's past and her secret enters the picture, but for what reasons, backed with a set of powerful Artifacts of his own. All trying to destroy a perfect life. Takes place after "What Matters Most" but before the Season 4 Finale.
1. SnagBag Prologue

"And, done." Pete smiled as he held up the artifact filled static bag. He and Claudia had gone to Montana to pick up this particular artifact, a gold ring that made you think you were married to the first thing you saw after putting it on. There were just some things that didn't surprise him anymore. That and it was one of the less hectic snags that he had done. It really was just negotiating a price for it.

Pete unlocked the car so the two could get on their way home. It was a long drive. That, and after a successful mission, Pete was hungry. Okay, Pete was always hungry. Steve was trying out a new recipe, but maybe he could convince Claudia to stop for tacos on the way back to South Dakota. Or before they left town.

"Hey Claud?" Pete turned to ask as he sat in the driver's seat of his black SUV. The red haired girl had been pretty quiet after receiving a text in the pawn shop. She was staring across the street from the shop from her seat. There was a diner there, with what looked like bar seating by the windows. Her face was pale, almost like she saw something that she was trying hard to not see. "Claudia."

"Huh, what?" Claudia seemed to snap out of her trance. She looked Pete in the eye. She was afraid of something.

"Everything okay?" Pete looked over at the diner. He wasn't really in the mood for diner food. Maybe Claudia was.

"Yeah, yes, everything's fine." Claudia looked forward and took a deep breath. "Let's just get home, shelve the ring, and get some rest."

"Sure, Claud." Pete nodded and sighed. There was something off. Claudia looked as though she had seen a ghost, but Pete wasn't getting any vibes about the diner. Just could feel his hunger growing. "Stop for tacos on the way?"

"Yeah, but lets get back to South Dakota first." Claudia agreed with him. Pete just shrugged and began driving. Leaving the diner and the pawn shop behind them.

* * *

"We're home!" Pete shouted. Claudia couldn't help but laugh at the man who had essentially become a big brother to her. He walked off to great the everyone else at the B&B. They looked to be just finishing getting ready for dinner. Claudia smiled and nodded before walking to the stairs.

"Hey Claud," Pete shouted up to her. "Don't you want dinner?"

"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute." Claudia responded and walked up the stairs and to her room. She closed the door behind her. Taking a deep breath she pulled out her phone. Turning it on she saw the conversation the had via text while Pete was snagging the artifact. She read through it in her head how many times on the drive home, and reading it again was making it sink in more and more.

"Hello, Donovan, I know your secret." The fist line read. The number was unknown, but since it was a simple grab she didn't have her laptop with her, and she didn't want to worry Pete in the car.

She just responded. "Oh, and who is this?"

"Howard Cress. I'm watching you and you're...friend. I'm in the diner across the street." The next line read. She had moved to her computer and quickly pulled up her tracking and search programs. It was that line that stopped her dead in her tracks. How had Howard gotten out? Why find her? And above all else...How did he know about the Warehouse?

She had met Howard during her brief time in the psychiatric institution. He was known as one of the crazier ones. Which Claudia had seen first hand when he threw a nurse over the couch because she was sitting in the wrong spot after he asked her to sit. That was the only time that Claudia had seen Howard. His hair blonde and unkempt. His eyes a dark blue that caused someone looking into them to tremble in fright. Claudia looked into his eyes, and then just wanted to hide in her room. His eyes were like a fear inducing artifact.

The search would take some time. She had to pull up everything she could on Howard Cress, and then she would tell everyone. With Myka recovering it would be hard to really deal with another crazy psychopath trying to attack them. It was the reason Claudia was having so much field time with Pete. Even though Pete didn't want to be gone for very long. Claudia took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She would eat dinner, and then tell Artie afterward. He'd know where to go from here. With that, Claudia left her computer and walked down to dinner. The smell of Steve's cooking seemed to alleviate the fright.


	2. Hello Donovan

Claudia paced in her room after dinner. Her annoyance was that her search on Howard Cress turned up virtually nothing that she didn't already know. She couldn't tell Artie, Pete, Myka, and Steve that some psycho knows about the Warehouse, without being able to pull up anything on him. It was almost like the world was mocking her. She was the hacker that broke into the Warehouse on her own. Yet, now she couldn't even find anything on a common person.

"Claud." Steve knocked on the door. She had left dinner abruptly. He was probably worried, but she was even more worried. "Is everything okay? You didn't stay for desert."

"Yeah, and no doubt Artie or Pete have devoured my share." Claudia sighed and slumped onto her bed. She took a deep breath. There was no use lying to Steve to begin with, and there wouldn't be any use hiding the truth from him.

"That doesn't answer my question." Steve entered the room a little more, placing his thumbs in his belt hoops.

"I got a text while on the snag with Pete." Claudia looked at her computer screen. The only picture of Howard Cress she could find was of him from when he was in the institution. His wild blonde hair, fair skin, strong features, and the deep dark eyes. Even though it was just an image on the screen, those eyes sent shivers down Claudia's spine. "It was from...someone from the Institution."

Steve trailed his eyes to look at the screen. He was quite for a while. Then he pointed. "Let me guess, him?"

Claudia nodded and put her hands to her forehead. She wasn't proud of knowing people like Howard. It was why she kept her past a secret from everyone. She gulped. "I think he knows about the Warehouse."

Steve pulled his arms up, so that they were crossed in front of his chest. His eyes were locked with the eyes in the picture. Claudia figured his more trained mind wouldn't be as intimidated by those dark eyes as she was. He took a breath in, and she realized he was put off by them as he spoke. "You're sure."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Claudia nodded again. She sighed. "I mean, what other secret could he know about me."

"I don't know Claud. You do play your past pretty close to the chest." Steve said. He shook his head. "I mean, we gotta tell Artie. He needs to know that something might be wrong."

"No, I mean, I'm not a hundred percent sure yet, and its only been a year since the last psychopath tried to attack the Warehouse." Claudia stood up and walked to her computer. She put her hands on the desk and stared at the screen. She took a deep breath. She had scans checking the Warehouse every hour. She had other search programs looking for information on Howard Cress, and had a couple looking for him specifically. "And, I don't think I can go through another worldwide disaster that makes me have to..."

"Claud, its okay." Steve rubbed her back. She could tell that he was trying to comfort her. "But, if he's a threat to the Warehouse."

"I wouldn't call him a threat." Claudia sighed. It wasn't like he was attacking them. He just knew about them, and now Claudia knew that he knew.

"Still," Steve said.

Claudia nodded. "I'll tell him in the morning. That way I can get some rest first."

Steve smiled at the red head before leaving her room.

* * *

Claudia was woken up by the ringing of her cell phone. She groggily reached for it and clicked it on to speaker with a quick press.

"Hello Donovan." The voice was cold and yet smooth. Claudia's eyes were already open wide. She didn't know the voice, but how it said hello caused her to guess.

"H...Howard," Claudia was both groggy and vaguely frightened. She gulped and pulled up the phone, placing it to her ear.

"By now, I've assumed you've told your friends about me?" Howard chuckled into his side of the phone. "If they can be called that, or are they what passes for family now a days."

"What do you want Howard?" Claudia scrambled from her bed to her computer. She immediately began to trace the call to her cell phone. If she could keep him talking, then she could find him. Finding him would be helpful for when she told Artie and the others. Then he'd know what to do.

"That is a good question Donovan." Howard remained calm and collected. Though there was a hint of joy in his voice. "There are many things I want...You being one of them."

"Oh, and why is that?" She just had to keep him talking.

"I've been enamored with you since I first saw you." Howard laughed at his comment. Claudia had begun to breath a little more rapidly. What was this madman planning? "And, I'm assuming that you are using this conversation to trace my phone. No need, I'm in Univille now. Sitting comfortably in my hotel room. Looking over the pictures I took of that...family of yours."

Claudia was wide eyed. Her breathing was officially panicking. She was shaking as she was typing. He wasn't lying. The cell trace put him in a Univille hotel. He was close, and he had pictures of everyone. How close was he able to get?

Claudia shook her head and tried to calm down. There wasn't anything he could do to them. Steve knew about him, and she would tell Artie about it in the morning. There was nothing to worry about. She was safe, and he was only in the city.

"Anyway, Donovan. Good luck in New York." Howard hung up the phone. Claudia sat in silence for a while. She shook off her shock, and packed her bag with her laptop. She headed out of the B&B. Her breathing still hectic. She got in her Prius and headed for the Warehouse.

* * *

Artie walked down the stairs after Trailor woke him up. He was grumbling a bit. His usual routine when letting Trailor out to go to the restroom. He had to figure out some way to get Claudia to build a way for Trailor to let himself out.

He clicked the button within sight of the door. It opened to let Trailor out, who happily trotted down the umbilicus. Artie then paused, noting that the lights to his office were on. He was sure that he had turned them off.

He sighed and smiled. He noticed Claudia sitting at the computer. She more was sleeping at the computer. He shuffled up the stairs and returned with a blanket. He placed the blanket over the girl's shoulders and smiled. With that he walked up the stairs beck to his room with Trailor curling back up on his bed.

He failed to notice that Claudia was searching the city of New York for something, and then the computer registered a ping.


End file.
